Filed to story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
Kent laughs, shrugging and saying I should do what I want.
I’m the bride, after all.
The party goes for a long time until I, like Dominic, am dozing just a little bit. Luckily, Kent stays awake, his arm wrapped around me and keeping both me and the child steady. He only wakes me up once, tapping my shoulder and then lifting his chin towards the dance floor.
“Thought you’d want to see this,” he murmurs, and I turn my sleepy head towards the crowds of people dancing slowly to a soft love song. And my face breaks into a brilliant smile when I see Gio with his arms around Janeen, staring down into her face and talking softly with a little smile on his lips. She looks seriously up at him, which is a feat in itself. Janeen she never does anything without a laugh.
At least, not until now.
“She’s gone for him,” I murmur with a sigh. “Poor doll. Do you think he’ll ever feel the same way?”
“I think he already does,” Kent murmurs, and I blink, turning to him in surprise.
“What?”
“Gio’s a lot like me,” he says softly, giving me a shrug. “He doesn’t show his cards for a long, long time. But there are little ways to tell that he can’t get enough of her.”
“Oh?” I say, smiling at him. “Like maybe, for instance, she could be the only girl that gets to sleep in his bed night after night, when he made all his other girlfriends go back to their rooms? Or that he stays up all night staring at her, obsession in his eyes -“
“The first half of that, I will concede,” Kent says, grinning at me, “the second half, I maintain, is still you.”
I laugh too, turning my focus back to Janeen and Gio. “So?
What are you seeing with him, Kent? What am I missing?”
“You’re missing,” Kent murmurs, “that he hasn’t danced with anyone else all night. And it’s not for lack of opportunity his mother, she made sure to invite all of the eligible girls from the town for this, and every daughter from a good family from anywhere in Sicily.”
I look around, my eyebrows raised, noticing for the first time that there are a good number of beautiful young women around, shooting glances at Gio, and at Daniel, and at Jerome.
“Oh, all the poor girls,” I murmur, my voice sorrowful. “Oh, they’re going to break their hearts over these boys, and they’ve got no chance…”
Kent laughs at this and gives a little shrug. “They’ll get over it. But Gio… Kent shakes his head and gives a happy sigh.
“He’s not ready to tell Janeen how he feels. But for those of us who have the time and patience to sit back and watch, the writing’s already on the wall.”
“So, are we like, old and boring now?” | ask, curious, looking up at him. “Are we just dull married parents now, the kind of people people who sit back and watch the young people fall in love?” I make a little face, not liking that idea at all.
“Well, considering that Gio and Janeen are older than you,”
Kent says, quirking his brow.
“Just because you’re a cradle robber,” I mutter, making Kent burst into laughter. I grin, because I’m just teasing I don’t really care that Kent is older than me. Honestly, I don’t think I could have handled him in his twenties. Now, he’s just right for me.
“You’re an old soul and I’m young at heart,” Kent murmurs, his lips close to my ear. “Besides, I don’t think we’ll let each other get boring. I don’t think it works that way with us.”
“Better not,” say, settling warmly against him. “I expect a rich, thrilling life, Kent Lippert.”
“And I’ll give it to you, Fay Lippert,” he says, his voice again rich with happiness and promise. “Dominic too. You just wait and see the best is yet to come.”
And I smile as I lean back against my husband as he wraps his arms around me, because I believe absolutely every word of what he says.
Two months later, were all gathered together again. And it is only with frustration that I see Gio and Janeen standing so close together that their arms nearly brush, even though they’re still not together.
I roll my eyes, dismissing the problem for a moment as I move my eyes down to Dominic and pull his little bonnet further over his face to shield his eyes from the bright sunshine outside our town’s little chapel by the sea.
“I still don’t see why we had to put him in a dress,” | murmur, glancing up at Kent, who stands next to me, looking very sexy in his tailored black suit. “But this sun bonnet we can definitely keep.”
“It’s a christening gown,” Kent murmurs, “you’ve got to stop calling it a dress, Fay.” He shoots me a little glare as he looks around at our gathered friends and family which, honestly, are mostly his friends and family, since l’ve still just got Janeen and dad. But I just smile and scrunch my nose at Dominic, who gurgles happily and kicks his feet as he looks up at me.
“You look pretty in your dress,” | whisper to him, lifting him higher to press kisses on both his cheeks.
“Would you stop kissing my godchild?” Janeen says, sighing and reaching for him as she comes over to us, Gio close behind. “You’ve got lipstick on today, Fay, you’re going to turn him all pink.”
Haugh as l hand Dominic over to my sister and she licks her thumb, scrubbing at her nephew’s cheeks. My baby has just gotten so damn cute over the past two months. I can/t get enough of him, which means he gets kissed precisely like that every ten minutes.
The photographer steps closer to us and, seeing an opportunity to get the godmother alone with the child, asks Janeen to step away with him. Janeen, ever vain, gladly goes.
“Congratulations on the day,” Gio says, smiling at Kent and 1.
“Oh, cut the crap, Gio,” Kent says, dry. “Why the hell haven’t you asked Janeen out yet?”
Gio’s mouth falls open and he just stares between us, shocked.
“You’re torturing her, Gio!” | laugh, stepping forward to give him a little shove on the shoulder.
“Oh, really?” Gio says, quirking an eyebrow at me and glancing over at Janeen, who is striking dramatic poses for the camera. “That, there, is a woman living a tortured life?”
“You’re dodging the question,” I say, tucking myself in against Kent’s side and shaking my head. “Honestly, Gio, we all know you two are crazy about each other. What’s holding you back?”
He sighs, and hangs his head, shaking it. “Janeen she is ..amazing. But she is also so free. I admit, I’m afraid that if I truly let myself fall for her.well. Does she have it in her to stay in a relationship for the long term, which is what I will want? If I get her, Fay..” he shakes his head again, looking over at my sister. “It will break me to lose her.”
I nod a little, considering him, considering the truth in that concern.
“You’re letting your fear win here, Gio,” Kent says, his voice serious as he wraps an arm around me and pulls me close.
“I know how you feel, but…nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“Oh, like I was such a huge risk for you,” I say, rolling my eyes up at Kent. “Considering I was on house arrest in your mansion and wasn’t able to go anywhere.”
“Hey,” he says, frowning down at me. “I let you go visit your horse.”
“Under armed guard!”
Kent laughs again, bending down to kiss me swiftly before turning back to Gio, who laughs along with us. “Come on, Gio,” Kent says, dropping his arm from me and wrapping it around his nephew instead. “Let’s go have a drink, we’ll talk it through.”
I smile as I watch the two of them walk away towards the little bar we’ve set up outside the church. Daniel and Jerome are there, chatting with my dad, Titus pounding excitedly around their heels. I tilt my head, considering that it’s perhaps not precisely religious to have a bar at a baptism but… well. Jesus turned his blood into wine, so I’m not sure I think he’s adverse to a little tipple.
My smile falters, though, as Don Bianci separates himself from his little group of family and slowly begins to make his way towards me. I mean, as much as I know that were on good terms now, he still makes me nervous. I shoot a look over at my sister, wishing she’d come to my side, but shes still posing for the camera with Dominic like a damn accessory
I scowl and jump a little when I hear Don Bianci’s voice at my side. “Congratulations, little Donna,” he murmurs, and I do my best to smile back at him.